The Food Spill Project

Type of practice Reuse for feed

Name of practice The Food Spill Project

Name of main actor Quality Chain of the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Agrifood Research Finland (MTT)

Type of actor(s) Public authority, Research institution

Location Finland

Stage of implementation Consumption

Year of implementation 2009

What was/is being done? The objective of this project was to study the amount of food waste, especially food waste that can be avoided in households and food service institutions. The project was launched in January 2009 and completed in March 2012. The project was funded by the Quality Chain of the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Agrifood Research Finland (MTT) and the participating companies. The amount of food waste and its reduction options were studied through a consumer survey, by monitoring the actual amounts of food waste occurring in households and food service institutions. 380 families (1 054 persons) were involved for two weeks in food waste audits: every day, they were to weight the amount and consider the quality and reasons for each food was disposed.

Outcomes and impacts Households avoidable food waste was on average 23kg per person; women living alone waste more than any other group, namely 30 kg per year; the amount of food wasted by single men is 21 kilos. The food wasted represented 5% of purchased food: more than 30% of the waste was composed of leftovers. The survey reveals that the largest amounts ending up in the rubbish bin comprise vegetables, including potatoes. The second largest group consists of home-made food, while the third includes milk products. Fruit and berries come fourth, while the bread and cereal products end up fifth. The most common reason for throwing away food is the fact that it is spoilt or mouldy, with the second most common reason being the expiration of the best-before-date or the use-by-date.